Mr. Mallard, Golden Girl and other Backyard Birds

Summer of 2017 ... we were duckless. We'd hatched a set of mallards in the Spring, but they hadn't stuck around. The geese were gone. The backyard felt a bit empty. Grayson heard of a neighbor who had added a couple ducks to his chickens, and they weren't getting along. So, we adopted the ducks.

Mr. Mallard was a traditional mallard, but the female was a Buff. She was very pretty and she was shy and nice. Mr. Mallard on the other hand, was a bit of a brute. He'd peck at my ankles and got annoyed with the wild birds that would come to partake of the buffet in our backyard.  Here's a little video recapping our time with these two ...

GOT EGGS?

While Golden Girl hadn't laid eggs yet at her previous residence, it wasn't long until she started laying for us. She popped out some HUGE eggs. They would really vary in size. She was quite consistent, laying one a day. Then, she stopped. I didn't think too much of it, but then a little over a week later, I discovered a nest in a new location with a whole bunch of eggs in it. She'd just moved spots. I collected those eggs, as I wasn't prepared for a big batch of babies. 

These were all fertilized eggs (believe me, there was enough action going on to ensure that). Grayson wanted to see what the babies from these two would look like, but I didn't want Golden Girl to sit and stop laying (and she'd likely wait until she had a dozen or more eggs). We decided to try a few in the incubator.  More on that in the next post ...

We did end up with babies. Even though they were the babies of these two birds, I was afraid of how Mr. Mallard would treat them. So, we ended up keeping the four ducklings, and rehoming Mr. Mallard and Golden Girl. We hadn't planned on keeping them over the winter anyway. They were a fun addition to our summer ducks of 2017. 

My video camera caught quite a few other birds in the backyard (and front yard) as well. I think the birds tweeted about the nice buffet that was always laid out. Birds galore! I love the fat quail, and the baby birds being fed by their parents, the lovey doveys and the starlings (I've posted about them nesting in our back wall and garage brick - Noisy Birds). Saw some wild ducks at the canal as well. Here's a quick little video from the miscellaneous Blackham birds of 2017. 

Blackham Boy Ball Bopping

This will be backdated to September 2017

I bought the inflatable dinosaur this year ... but that wasn't the only inflatable the boys had fun with. These bop balls weren't anything I went looking for, I just happened upon them at Smiths (the regular grocery store no less, not even the bigger store). They were $10 each. I got two. I didn't know if the boys would be interested, or if they'd last. The boys were interested, and they lasted long enough for that price. I don't know if they would have made it through a winter storage anyway. Summer fun!

The Blackham brothers bopped each other, and Cooper and his friend McKay had a fun inflatable day (enjoying both the balls and the dinosaur). Here's a little video ...

Blogger Foreshadowing ... a second round of balls appear in 2019!

Funny Faces and Snapchat Filters

I hate Snapchat ...

For me, social media is about preserving a memory. I don't want things that disappear! If I'm posting a picture or making a memory, I like to know I can use Facebook or Instagram to help me locate it in the future. Snapchat? Stories are only there for a moment, one viewing. I tried to get it and learn it to but I hate it.

Except for the funny filters.

I remember this video of Callahan showing Gray how to record using them (to send a birthday message to a friend). I had to try it too. For girls, sometimes it isn't to be silly, but to look better! Smoothing out wrinkles, brightening/widening the eyes ...

In 2015, I remember the boys had played around with the "face swap" app with hilarious/disturbing results ... I sent these pictures to Landon on his mission and he replied "please do NOT do that again!"

But that wasn't even the first time ...

More funny photos from years gone by!

The camera on the Mac laptop ...

Yearbook Yourself (Clayton did these of Callahan)

This app doesn't seem to be around anymore.

... and ... I honestly don't know about this one!

Blackham Vacation 2017

The big trip for 2017 was to Seattle/Canada, meeting up with the Washington Blackhams. There had been a Seattle/Canada trip planned last year (passports were prepped and everything) and then due to some spinny issues, Grayson had decided to call it off. But this year ... it was a go, with all five boys! I of course, was going to enjoy the vacation vicariously. This was my longest time home alone (10 days) but Gray was good at keeping me in the loop with pictures and texts, and I tried to keep up with Landon's snaps. 

It all started Thursday, July 20... they were flying. It was the first time on a plane for the two littles. Up early at 4:30, an Uber to the airport (we don't have a car we all fit in, even without luggage) and they were off. They arrived in Seattle early (about 10:30) so they had most of that first day there. Rented a car, booked a hotel room ... ate at Lunchbox Laboratory. Met up at Kolby's house in the evening. 

I swear the boys would make the trip to Seattle JUST to hit Lunchbox Laboratory!

The boys hit Lunchbox the first day as they hit Seattle ... 

and on the last day, before they left! 

Landon's snapchats I snagged ...

Gray got some great pictures at the GasWorks park!

The next day, it was off to the lake for paddleboarding and kayaking. 

Saturday was a segway tour in of Seattle.

My cute helmet heads!

... more segway snapshots.

Landon's snapchat after ;) ha ha!

Monday, the crew left Seattle for Whistler, Canada. 

Downtime, puzzles, hot tub, hammock ... Netflix in Canada has some different programming (French Prince of Bel Air was on there). Some biking, and trips for ice cream or gelato. There was a little park nearby with a basketball court, so Grayson bought a couple basketballs so the littles could go play. 

Wednesday, the Blackhams headed to Blackcomb, a resort there in Whistler.

There were ski lifts and a big gondola ride to the top of the mountain. 

The Olympics had been hosted there in 2010. 

So many scenic sights ... and the birds were quite friendly!

... here's a little video clip of the bird experience!

You hear the people in Canada are super friendly ... I guess that goes for some of the birds too! #BlackhamVacation2017 #isthatabirdonyourhead

A post shared by JenB (@jenblackham) on Jul 26, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT

Thursday had a couple big activities ... Bungee jumping anyone?

The three older boys and Gray jumped. Cousin Mia did too. 

Colton expressed some regret at not trying it. 

Then it was a zipline tour for everyone. 

A post shared by JenB (@jenblackham) on Jul 29, 2017 at 12:32pm PDT

Gray sent snapshots of all the flowers along the way.

 ... and the food feasts

On Friday, Kolby's family and the Sanders (their friends) were going on to Victoria. Gray and the boys headed back to Seattle. They hadn't hit all the sights before heading to Canada. They wanted to get to the Space Needle ... and they did. Also, as mentioned above, another trip to Lunchbox Laboratory before they left. 

... and then, HOME!

July 2017 - Westra Group Gatherings

This will be backdated to mid-July 2017

Shane and Alicia had come from California for a visit, and Wendy and her three littles stopped in to connect while they were here (Rick and the older kids were booked with EFY and such). As those two families had traveled so far, I figured the Blackham Bunch could come out, all the way from West Jordan.

The family festivities actually started on Sunday July 16. Chris had been in the hospital for surgery on his colon (then complications, Grayson made a "semi-colon" joke) but managed to make it. Gray prepped pulled pork, and that was turned into tacos. No pictures from that activity, but I caught this video of the crazy Blackham Boys jumping over Grandma's front flowerbed ...

On Tuesday, Wendy and Alicia came out to my Zumba class!

Then on Thursday, the girls got together for lunch at Red Robin. Yum!

While all the cousins were in town, we all gathered at the neighborhood pool (collage at the top) for some swimming. Then we made plans to hit the parade preview (Days of 47) but I took my boys out to lunch first. Even got Landon and Callahan to join us! The family had been talking up JCWs, so we went there, but we weren't that impressed by it. Then, it was on to the expo center ...

The "Parade Preview" has been going on for a number of years now. All the floats prepared for the Days of 47 parade are showcased at the expo center in the days before the state holiday. It's a great way to see them up close and in air-conditioned comfort. And it's free!

Having the family in town was a good incentive to get everyone together a few times during the week! Summer days, cute cousins, fun with family!

A Full Family 5k

There may be a FINISH line behind us in this photo ... but this was before it all started.

Many years ago, we did a family 5k. It was My First 5k ... and my only 5k. Even though it had been a good experience, and I wanted to do another one almost immediately, it didn't happen. After time passed, my anxieties increased, and I just wasn't sure I'd ever end up doing another. Hubs and a couple of the boys did one last year (My Little Man Ran) and I debated doing it. But I didn't. Earlier this year, a couple of the boys (#1 and #4) ran one (A Super 5k). #2 and his girlfriend had a summer bucket list, and a 5k was on there. Then I heard about the Linda Butters Fun run.

• It was close. By Gene Fullmer, our rec center, at the West Jordan Veterans Park.
• It was inexpensive. I try not to begrudge the costs of 5ks. I know they are often fundraisers for great causes ... but at 30+ a pop, it makes makes it a but pricey for seven entries. THIS, apparently was not a fundraiser (I'm sure it end up costing them money) but a memorial run. The entry fee was $10. Not per person ... that was the entire family, including #2's girlfriend!
• It had the swag. Chip timed, t-shirts ... that makes it a little more fun.
• Everyone was available.

 If even one family member had opted out, I probably would have too.  

Here is #1, #3 and #4 with their FlipBelts.

Ready to race!

The West Jordan Veteran's Memorial park has a big loop within it. It was closed to cars as the 4th of July carnival was being set up ... and it was where we'd be running. The finish line was also the start ... up through the center of the park, then three loops around. Because it was loops, I got lapped, but only by one son (#3), and I had just passed the end point as #5, #1 and #4 were crossing the finish line (so I could let out a little whoop). 

 This is the order they finished in.

The three top finishers were then excluded from the age group rankings ... overall 1st place was a 15-year old from the boy's high school. 2nd place was a fellow in our neighborhood (in his twenties) and 3rd place was in the age group above that I think. You can see that the Blackham Boys took the top spots (these were preliminary results, additional racers were still finishing up).

... and honestly? Those times are a little TOO good. I don't think this was a completely accurate and full 5k. I told the boys not to count this as their personal best. I forgot to snap a picture of the women's times, but I think I snuck in just under 30min ... and I can't run three miles in 30minutes (I was planning on coming in at about 40 minutes, I had my 5mph playlists on and pretty much stuck to that pace, but did stop to walk a time or two). As I rounded the last curve ... there were my boys! Hubs and all five, and they jogged the last little bit with me, cheering me on (because obviously, I was the last one from our family).

We all got our t-shirts...

...and everyone even posed for pictures!

Hooray for a Family 5k!

Duck, Duck, Goose ... x 2

Time for a 2017 edition of the Blackham Backyard Birds.

Part 1 "Duck, Duck, Goose ... x2"  

(parts 2 and 3 will come later)

Starting with the Spring set.

Duck eggs in the incubator. Of the seven started, four eventually hatched. This set of four was a little more feral than other ducks we'd raised in past years. They were wild, not eating from our hands or even coming that close. Admittedly, we were a bit distracted by the geese (their story below) who were extremely interactive. These four seemed very petite ... we wondered if we had four females, but they flew away before we knew for sure. They sure didn't stick around for long.

 ... while we were waiting for the duck eggs to hatch, Grayson bought two baby geese from a breeder. About twice the size of a  duckling, they were adorably off-balance (they would easily topple over before they found their feet, and their swimming was not nearly as graceful... they ended up going backwards most of the time). These babies loved human interaction and would eat out of our of our hands and snuggle by our feet. One of the babies (a few weeks old at that point) got under the fence and into the front yard just as a little girl was riding by on her bike. Little goose girl followed the her all the way around the neighborhood (we did track them down and brought Goose Girl safely home). 

I know Canadian Geese have a reputation for being mean ... but not these two. They were so sweet and just wanted to play (and to be fed). They would hang out on the back porch, peeking in the window, and even came into the house a couple of times, They loved lettuce and greens more than our ducks ever had. They pooped everywhere. They grew so fast and outgrew our backyard so they had to move onto larger, greener pastures. We sure missed them when they were gone. 

Here's a video montage of the Spring experience ...

Callahan ~ School Snapshot

Pre-K through 12th grade ... that first picture is pre-preK. I had taken Landon in for Kindergarten pictures, and hadn't really planned on getting the two little boys done too, but went ahead and got that classic Callahan photo. So cute to see how he changed and how he stayed the same through the years. Can't tell when he got his braces off for sure, with that closed mouth smile for several years. Love the spikey hair! Sometimes he had such a ridge there at the front, that he gained the nickname "shark-boy" ...

He attended Columbia Elementary, which was our boundary school. Supposedly walking distance, no buses, but it was a long and unsafe walk (I would walk it with Colton in the stroller during Cooper's Kindergarten year) so we carpooled for dropoff and pickup. Callahan had his older brother Landon a few grades ahead, and Keaton coming up behind. He had a couple years with both brothers there.

Callahan made some friends during basketball, and because of that we decided we wanted him on a path to Copper Hills High School (the boundary school when we moved in, but then the boundaries were changed ... a majority of kids in the neighborhood still planned on CHHS). We put in a permit to West Hills. It was the same distance as Elkridge (where Landon had gone) and Joel P (boundary school) and as we still weren't considered in the bus route, I would be driving him to/from school regardless. No carpools to WHMS though. As Callahan and Keaton overlapped, Keaton also was on the West Hills/Copper Hills track with permits. Callahan played on the 9th grade basketball team at West Hills, and on the Copper Hills team in high school. It was a West Hills and Copper Hills that he would meet his future wife and make lots of great friends!

Here's a look back at the school pictures from elementary ...

... I've tried to hang onto his yearbooks from middle and high school, as he just doesn't seem that interested in them. He might someday ... but he and Kate do have duplicates, as they went to school together all those years.   Check out the "school" label for more peeks at the past!

Callahan and Copper Hills Graduation

 It's time. For the Tassel. 

We ordered the cap and gown and made up an announcement ...

Graduation.

I snagged a couple shots in the cap and gown before Callahan left. The graduates needed to be early. While Landon's graduation had been downtown at the arena there, this year Copper Hills was at the Maverick Center in West Valley. Initially, I thought I'd like it better. I don't do downtown ... but parking was NOT set up for his magnitude there in West Valley. Hubs and I ended up illegally parking at a nearby hotel and hoping we wouldn't get towed. We were a little late, but because of that, we caught the kids as they were waiting outside for their entry into the building. Photo op!

Inside it was crazy crowded. The Vivent Center had enough seating at least ... here, we weren't sure if we would find any. We ended up climbing over a wall to get into the box seating sections.

So many graduates! Callahan was close to the end, although it was hard to tell, even with the binoculars Maga had in her purse. 

Every previous year, there had been both navy and green for the caps and gown. The girls wore green. I guess someone complained, some issue about diversity "what is someone identifies as ..." so the school accommodated and changed the tradition. It will be interesting to see if they go back to two colors other years.

I'll admit ... ceremony and sitting and crowds, it's not my favorite thing. I didn't even want to go to MY graduation(s). We knew several of the speakers personally though. The Valedictorian lives in our neighborhood, as does the class president, so we knew both girls well. Cal used to go out with the VP so we knew her too. The principal spoke for quite a while, and of course the presentations of the diplomas for a class that size took a lot of time. A couple hours there ... and then tons of time in the parking lot. Oy, I wasn't sure we'd ever escape. Maybe that's how some kids feel about the whole high school experience *Ü* Now off into the big, wide world!